Time Warp Trio is a novel series written by American bestselling children writer Jon Scieszka. The books were first illustrated by Lane Smith and later by Adam McCauley and feature the adventures of three young boys- Joe, Fred, and Sam through space and time with the aid of a strange object known as “The Book.”

It all begins during Joes seventh birthday when he is given an unusual blue book called “The Book” by his magician uncle, Joe. Using some print cues and voices, the book transports the three boys to different times and place, from the medieval periods of King Arthur of Camelot and to 2095 where the boys get to meet their great-grandchildren.

The only way that the boys can return to the present time in Brooklyn, New York is by finding the book again within the period they are in.

The series features three main characters, Joe and his two friends, Sam and Fred. Joe is an upcoming magician just like his namesake uncle. He is the custodian of the book and his talent for several magic tricks helps them through several stressful situations.

Then we have Sam- Joes and Fred friend of Asian descent. He is an intelligent young man and always contributes his historical knowledge to the group.

Again there is Fred; a sports die hard who is strong willed and sometimes to the point of insanity. Fred loves using the book mainly for material gains, like acquiring future technology or hunting for treasures.

Knights of the Kitchen Table

In the first novel of Time Warp Trio series Joe and this two friends Sam and Fred travel back in time with the help of the magical blue book, a birthday present presented to Joe by his uncle.

The book contains pictures of castles and knights, and when one of the boys wishes that it would be fun to see the knights, smoke surrounds them, and they disappear.

They soon find themselves face to face with a Black Knight who refers to them as a demon, foul wizards, and sorcerers and vows to kill them. The boy’s quick shrewdness, as well as the knight’s armor and a heavily armored horse, perfectly work against him, and Fred ends up knocking him out with a stick.

King Arthur, who were watching the fight from afar rush in and hair the courageous Fred as “Sir Fred” and take the boys to fight Bleob the giant and Smaug a dragon, for their success in combating the Black Knight.

Sam makes an effort to make a deal with the giant. Unfortunately, the smelly giant refuses. He then makes a final shot by making the giant mad at the dragon, the two evil creatures fight each other, and the two boys are hailed as heroes.

Merlin, who has been watching out for the young boy’s suspects that the only possible way the boys could have come to his time is only through the magical powers of the book. He searches The Books to see whether he can find some magic that would send the three boys back to their time.

The premier novel Knights of the Kitchen Table is a great read for kids; it is simple and straightforward full of humor and illustrations that make it more engaging especially to the children.

The story is quite creative especially in dealing with the age of Arthurian period. Character development is quite superb in this novel, and the boy’s interaction with Merlin is amusing. The plot is well paced, especially for the target audience children.

The Not-So-Jolly Roger

In the second book of Time Warp series, the three boys amusing now find themselves wandering in a desert island. The Blackbeard who has come to bury his treasure spots the three, and together with the help of his two helpers he captures the boys and takes them to the pirate’s ship. The pirate king hopes that the kids can get recruited to his crew and get him more money.

The only way for the kids to escape the pirate ship and get back to their period is to find the book. They discover that a preacher in the ship once had the book but was forced to walk out the plank. After the boys sink a boat with a once lucky single shot, the Pirate King rewards them with buried treasure. When the boys dig up the treasure, they discover that it is no gold or silver but inside they find The Book, and as the Blackbeard accuses them of stealing the gold, the book activates and sends them back home.

Just like the first book, this novel is quick and an entertaining read. There is fun visiting the historical figure and the golden period when the pirates ruled the high waters, were treasures belonged to the pirates. The author Jon Scieszka does an excellent detailed job and does not beat around the bush with his descriptions.

The Good, the Bad and the Goofy

In the third novel of the Time Warp Trio series, the three boys travel back in time to the Wild West. Cool right? Not so fast, everything in the famous Wild West is quite the opposite; the food stinks, the Indians try to scalp them while the cattle want to stampede them. Joe, Sam, and Fred experience the adventures of their lives, and to return to their time, back home, they must first find the book only if they are dodging the Indians trying to scalp them.

The Good, the Bad & the Goofy is another great work from Jon Scieszka while reading the novel, you will encounter black and white illustrations, and this gives an insight to the story and helps a transitional reader in understanding the book.

In summary, Time Warp Trio series is an interesting read; it is broken down into chapters thus forming different stories. The characters are fascinating and will keep you laughing with their funny traits. The entire plot is well developed and perfectly suits children audience. An addition of Jon Scieszka novels to your child book library would be a great idea.

All Gabriel Allon fans will be eagerly anticipating this one - your favourite spy is back in The New Girl, coming to bookshelves in mid-July. In this one, a girl is kidnapped from an exclusive private school in Switzerland and Gabriel Allon is brought on board to find her. More Details.

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If you’re a fan of standalone thrillers then be sure to read any of the standalones by Brad Parks. The guy is a master! I’ve read over 50 different authors of standalone thrillers in the last year and no-one stands out like Brad. More Details.

Did You Know…

Charlaine Harris is a former weightlifter and karate student. Harris resides in Magnolia, Arkansas, where she is the senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church.